Page 34 of Forced Pregnant Mate

“Father, I know you don’t like Jack—”

“Listen, Lena,” Father cuts me off, his tone harsh. “You don’t know what’s going on here. I have a good reason not to like Jack. But I’d like to put that aside for now. I can see he’s doing well for you, and I need you to do something for me.”

“What’s that?” I ask, my voice getting strangled in my throat.

“Mention to Alpha Bailey that we’re a good, hardworking family and we’d make a great addition to his pack.”

“What?” I ask, not understanding.

“Just pass on the truth,” Father laughs. “No embellishing! Put in a good word for us, and I’ll make sure Sam is nice and comfy at home, okay?”

My blood chills at Father’s threat. I don’t know what his goal is here, but he obviously wants it badly if he is using Sam as a weapon again.

When we head back to the kitchen, Kelly is standing up and gesturing for Sam to do the same.

“Ah, you’re back, honey,” she says to my father. “I don’t want to overstay our welcome, so I thought we’d head off soon.”

“Not a problem with me,” Father answers lightly. “I’ve had my words with Lena. I’m sure she’ll do what’s best for all of us.”

“I’ll see you out,” Jack says, almost warmly. He leads the way, and Kelly and Father follow closely towards the front door.

“Hey,” I whisper, grabbing Sam’s arm. “Do you know what Father’s up to? Why does he care so much about what Bailey thinks?”

Sam shakes his head. “I know, right? He always said this pack was trash and he wants nothing to do with it. I think he’s still got some issues with Decker, though. I don’t know for sure, but I think there has been some conflict with the other elders, and Father might want to move here.”

My chest feels so tight, I think my heart is about to burst. The idea of Father and Kelly being here is nightmarish—but it would also allow me to take care of my brother.

“What happened?” I ask, shaking his arm a little. “Are you alright?”

“Sure,” he answers, giving me a smile. “You don’t need to worry about me, not with everything you’ve got going on here. I know dealing with the issues in this pack must be a challenge.”

“But Sam—”

“Hey, Sam!” Father’s voice drowns mine out. “Are you coming?”

“Yes, Father,” he calls back, turning away from me to head up the hall. I follow him out to the porch and see that Kelly and Father are already waiting by the truck. Sam stops to give me a big hug, then hurries out to join them.

I watch them pull away, feeling shaky and sick. Jack glares down the driveway, as if he’s daring them to return.

“Jack,” I say softly. “What happened? What is the deal between you and my father?”

Jack sighs, the fight going out of him. “I think you should come inside and sit down.”

More alarmed than ever, I follow him back to the kitchen, where he pours us some tea before sitting down. He takes a few seconds to clear his thoughts, but obviously, he’s been wanting to get this off his chest for a long time.

“Lena, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you this before, but I was trying to protect you. Bailey also warned me to be quiet about this.”

“What?” My voice comes out as a tiny squeak.

“About a year ago, when we were having the peace meetings, I went to your place to look for you. Instead, I found your Father… loading crates of illegal guns into his truck.”

“What?” I shriek, shocked.

He really has been doing something illegal!

“I’m sorry,” Jack says, sighing. “But it’s the truth. I confronted him. He denied it—right there in front of the evidence. I got mad and punched him. He fought back. It got a bit messy.”

I shake my head, unable to answer. So much is starting to make sense.

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